An enthralling Britain vs Ireland clash provided one of the most gripping subplots of the 2024/25 National Hunt campaign. If the early evidence is any guide, we could be in for something similar in the 2025 flat season.
Try as he might, Dan Skelton couldn’t withstand the irresistible surge of Willie Mullins over jumps. Miles behind at one stage, a spectacular, all-guns-blazing finish saw the Closutton colossus claim the title for the second time in as many years. In truth, such is Willie Mullins’ dominance of the jumping scene that the result felt almost inevitable.
On the flat, the race is harder to call, as battle lines are drawn between two of the most powerful training establishments. John & Thady Gosden represent the home team but face stiff opposition in the shape of Aidan O’Brien and Ballydoyle.
O’Brien Seeking Eighth Title
With a scarcely conceivable collection of Classics and Group 1 victories, Aidan O’Brien remains immovable at the summit of Irish training. No trainer other than O’Brien has claimed the Irish Trainers’ title since 1998! In addition to mastering his homeland, the 55-year-old has won seven British Trainers’ Championships.
Champion Trainer for a seventh time 🤯
Aidan O’Brien is unstoppable ❌#ITVRacing | #ChampionsDay pic.twitter.com/fjXdEFNte3
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) October 19, 2024
To put that in perspective, only five trainers in the history of British Racing have amassed more. Over £3 million clear of nearest rival Andrew Balding at the end of 2024, he may take some stopping on the run to the line.
Gosdens Going For Gold
Barring something remarkable from Andrew Balding or Charlie Appleby, the father and son duo of John & Thady Gosden are the most realistic threat to the defending champion. First claiming the title in 2012, Gosden picked up his fifth in 2020 and added a sixth in partnership with Thady in 2023.
Winning “only” £3,846,506 in 2024, Team Gosden finished well adrift of Aidan O’Brien and his £8m+ haul. If they keep up their early pace, the Gosdens will, at the very least, finish significantly closer in 2025.
The State of Play: Gosden Leads the Way – But Only Just
As is the case over jumps, the Flat Trainers’ Championship goes to the trainer who accumulates the most prize money throughout the season.
With 49 wins to O’Brien’s 16, John & Thady Gosden are comfortably clear in terms of wins. However, that counts for little in a race where pounds sterling is the unit of success.
So, how do things stand on the prize money front at the midpoint of the campaign? Encouragingly for home hopes, John & Thady Gosden lead the way, but only by a wafer-thin margin:
Prize Money Standings Before Coral-Eclipse Meeting
- John & Thady Gosden – £3,293,189
- Aidan O’Brien – £3,188,837
- Lead – £104,352
Key Clash at Sandown
In most walks of life, £104,352 is a significant sum. In horse racing, it can disappear in the space of a single contest.
Whilst every pound counts towards the title, the most valuable races inevitably carry the most weight. Glorious Goodwood, the International Meeting at York, and Ascot’s King George fall into that category, as does the big event at Sandown on Saturday afternoon with the Coral-Eclipse having first place prize money of £567,100.
The Gosdens look to have the ace in the pack in this 1m2f affair. Sporting the blue silks of Godolphin, Ombudsman produced one of the most sensational performances of the Royal Ascot Festival when storming home in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. With that effort fresh in the memory, the Night Of Thunder colt looks like the one they all have to beat.
If Ombudsman is to come out on top, he must conquer a pair of talented O’Brien entries. Camille Pissarro advertised his claims for this when claiming the Prix du Jockey Club in June. Representing the sire of the moment, Wootton Bassett, he certainly doesn’t look out of place in this lineup. However, a French Classic win isn’t enough to earn the vote of Ryan Moore, who opts to ride Delacroix. Whilst only ninth at Epsom, the son of Dubawi is a perfect two from two over this trip. Too good for dual Derby hero Lambourn in the Ballysax Stakes earlier in the campaign, it would be no surprise to see him leave his Derby display behind him.
The result of the 2025 Coral-Eclipse won’t determine the destination of the title. However, if the Gosdens are to fend off the tigerish O’Brien challenge, they likely need to win the races they are expected to win. With Ombudsman trading as the general even-money favourite, the Coral-Eclipse falls firmly into that category.
